bORJSrfeLL— MARINJ: RESOURCES 



19 



named the lease of the whole fishery, mainland as well as insular, has been put 

 up to tender, and is now fished by men either employed directly by the renter 

 or under sub-licence from him. The renter is the only person in the district entitled 

 to vend chanks, and the places where sale may take place are limited to three — 

 Beyt, Aramra and Gopi. 



The annual revenue to Government for the eight years following their assumption 

 of fishery control was respectively as follows, viz. 



Sam vat 1918 and 1919 

 1920 

 1921 

 1922 

 1923 

 1924 

 1925 



Es. 536 „ 10 „ 8 



Total for 8 years 



an average of say Es. 67 per annum. 



Comparing this with recent results, we find that the rentals at which the fishery 

 as a whole was leased out during the ten years ending 1906 were as follows : — 



1896-1897 

 1897-1898 

 1898-1899 

 1899-1900 

 1900-1901 

 1901-19021 



to 

 1905-1906 



five years 



A total for 10 years of 



Es. 96 



160 



160 



97 



81 4 



755 



Es. 1349 „ 4 „ 



which gives an average of Es. 134-14-10 per annum, a sum comparing very 

 favourably with that obtained at the beginning of Government administration. 



It would be interesting and useful to learn if this rise in the value of the fishery 

 is due to increase in the numbers caught, or whether to a rise in price. There appear 

 to be no data on the subject, as the lessee, who alone could furnish them, can hardly be 

 expected to supply such a return. I am inclined to the opinion that the cause is more 

 likely to be due to increase in the selling price, seeing that the customers for this 

 strange article of commerce are confined to Hindu pilgrims visiting the holy places 

 of Beyt and Dwarka, who have largely increased of recent years since regular steam 

 communication was established between Dwarka and the ports of Sind, Kutch, 



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